KCKPD: Building a Future-Ready Real-Time Crime Center for Faster, Smarter Public Safety
When theKansas City, Kansas Police Department set out to create its Real-Time Intelligence Crime Center, leadership wanted more than a technology upgrade. They wanted a purpose-built environment that would improve situational awareness today. And it had to remain flexible enough to support tomorrow’s policing strategies and technology needs.
Working with CTI, the department transformed an outdated space into a modern command center anchored by a customizable, bezel-less video wall that brings critical information together in one place. The result is a future-ready operations center that helps officers and command staff make faster, better-informed decisions during daily operations and critical incidents.
The Challenge
In 2021, Police Chief Karl Oakman made establishing a Real-Time Crime Center a strategic priority for the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department, noting, “We had some systems, but we were nowhere near the level that a police department this size should be at.”
An aging facility also presented an opportunity. Rather than renovating around existing infrastructure, the department could design a purpose-built operations center from the ground up.
After visiting other Real-Time Crime Centers, one requirement quickly became clear: a large, flexible display system would serve as the centerpiece of the new space, allowing personnel to monitor multiple live information sources simultaneously.
The Solution
CTI worked closely with department leadership from the earliest planning stages to design a video wall solution tailored to the department’s operational needs.
At the heart of the project is a large, bezel-less display driven by a flexible control system that allows operators to customize screen layouts in real time. Live feeds from body-worn cameras, in-car video systems, drones, surveillance cameras, and other critical resources can all be displayed simultaneously, giving personnel a complete operational picture whenever incidents unfold.
Just as importantly, the solution was designed with future expansion in mind, allowing the department to adapt the space as technology and policing strategies continue to evolve.
A Productive Partnership
Because every Real-Time Crime Center is unique, the project required ongoing collaboration throughout the installation process.
CTI worked alongside department leadership to refine the system, make adjustments as requirements evolved, and ensure the final solution met the department’s expectations.
According to Captain Fithian, CTI remained responsive throughout the project: “We were always able to reach them.”
The Impact
Today, the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department has a centralized operations center that provides real-time visibility into incidents across the city while supporting more informed command decisions.
The Real-Time Intelligence Crime Center enables the department to:
- Display multiple live video sources simultaneously on a customizable video wall.
- Monitor body-worn cameras, patrol vehicle cameras, drones, and other critical resources in one location.
- Improve situational awareness for command staff during routine operations and major incidents.
- Support faster, more effective decision-making without requiring command personnel to be physically located at the incident scene.
- Adapt the space as new technologies and operational requirements emerge.
“We’re more effective, more efficient, and more responsive.”
Captain Kevin Fithian, Real-Time Crime Center and Intelligence Unit, Kansas City, Kansas Police Department
Public Sector AV
Technology should clarify the situation, not make it harder to gather and share the information your team. CTI has a track record you can trust, building public meeting spaces, emergency operation centers, and courthouses that keep the people you serve safe under the most trying conditions.
Testimonials
“The biggest challenge going into this was to make sure that our capabilities were always working. Working with CTI, there was never a pause.”
“The attention to detail that CTI gave us, you’re able to put your head down at night and know that tomorrow’s everything’s gonna work.”
Working with CTI, we’ve completely re-engineered and built an entirely new technology foundation so that we can support every media company around the world.
CTI has become not only partners, they’ve become great friends. And it wasn’t just, ‘hey, this is what we want,’ and CTI went ahead and executed it.It was ‘hey, here’s what we want,’ and CTI coming to us saying, ‘Okay. We hear what you want. Have you tried this?’ It was, ‘let’s collaborate and figure out the best way to accomplish that.’
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